 Editor in Chief Bill   | 06 May 2022 9:47 p.m. PST |
The first ever appearance of a US-supplied Switchblade 300 loitering munition (Kamikaze Drone) in combat in Ukraine – these remains were recovered by Russian forces in #Kharkiv Oblast. Twitter: link |
| Legion 4 | 07 May 2022 7:22 a.m. PST |
That is nothing new, showing the enemy's weapons you had found on the battlefield or captured. More Russian saber rattling for local consumption. They did similar with the Javelins, etc. weapons they captured. They have to try to find anything they can to show they are "winning" … |
| Editor in Chief Bill | 07 May 2022 7:34 a.m. PST |
This one had already been 'used'.  |
| Legion 4 | 07 May 2022 7:54 a.m. PST |
Sure, you collect up bits & pieces of even expended enemy weapons. That is just part of good intel gathering SOP. E.g. The PRC was paying the Taliban for any expended or otherwise US weapons. The same thing happened in the war in the former Yugoslavia. The PRC was helping the Serbs/Yugo forces shoot down an F-117.* link From the link … Some pieces of the F-117's wreckage are preserved at the Serbian Museum of Aviation in Belgrade. This incident remains classified and only some details were revealed. Get the parts, see what makes them "tick", etc. maybe reverse engineer them, etc. ? *As a sidebar after an F-117 was shot down. A PRC building used by them in Serbia, IIRC, was "Accidently" blown up. By an airstrike of some sort. The CIA said it was a "mistake" … "Old maps" or something like that … "Mess with bull … you get the horns." … |
| Thresher01 | 07 May 2022 12:51 p.m. PST |
Look for reverse-engineered ones soon, like they did with our Aim-9 missiles. |
 David Manley  | 07 May 2022 3:36 p.m. PST |
The bombing of the Chinese Embassy didn't have anything to do with the F117. |
| Legion 4 | 07 May 2022 4:30 p.m. PST |
That is not what I had heard David … but why do you think it was bombed ? If you know why not enlighten us all ? ☀ Or do you just want to leave us all hanging ?  |
| David Manley | 07 May 2022 10:49 p.m. PST |
Choosing my words carefully, I worked with someone who was involved and we discussed the event in some detail. Those details are not in the public domain. I'm sure you'll understand, given your career history, there are many things that get brought up here that wargames would love to know about, or that everyone "knows" what happened, but where classification means the course of real events was somewhat different |
| David Manley | 07 May 2022 10:58 p.m. PST |
Anyway, your post is the first time I've seen a suggestion that China helped the Serbs shoot down the F117 (one would think if anyone did it would have been the Russians). It's well-known that the Chinese obtained parts of the wreckage – and a number of other NATO weapons that were recovered, but otherwise… Is there any evidence to support PRC support in the shoot down itself, or is it just speculation? |
| Legion 4 | 08 May 2022 8:41 a.m. PST |
Well you convinced me David. You sort of had an inside track. And yes, I understand completely. You sold me on the topic ! It's well-known that the Chinese obtained parts of the wreckage – and a number of other NATO weapons that were recovered, but otherwise… Yes that seems to be SOP, for the PRC & Russia too, in some cases. Is there any evidence to support PRC support in the shoot down itself, or is it just speculation? I had heard it as both evidence and speculation. Which I took it as was a true event. With the PRC getting some wreckage. etc. I was wrong, as you do know more about this than I or many others do. So thanks for the intel update. And yes, I at one time had a Top Secret Clearance. But as you know I only was told what was "need to know" … And TS rating is not that high … |
